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When I finally took the jump to a competition marker I chose the Automag, and these are my experiences. I was impressed right from the start, along with all the necessary tools, the gun also came with oil, a manual, and a video. The videotape was top notch, it covers the history of the gun, step by step procedure for taking the marker apart, and trouble shooting. Although I have never had to use them I have heard that Air Gun Designs (AGD) tech support is first class.

The two things about the gun that I didn’t like were the trigger and the velocity drop I experienced during rapid firing. The trigger felt stiff and was difficult to shot a lot of paint (although I managed), so a trigger job was going to be a must. The velocity drop is a problem in almost all markers during rapid fire, especially using CO2.

The AUTOMAG upgrade path.

If your gun didn’t come with a barrel you will have to pick one out, your best bet would be to talk to other people who play and ask them what barrel they have and how they like them.
The Automag has a tendency to puke all over it self when liquid gets in the gun, so an expansion chamber is a must and an anti-siphon tank is a good idea. You can also run a remote line and this does a good job of keeping liquid out also.

The stock grips aren’t so comfortable. These can be replaced with after market ones or you might want a 45 grip frame for better balance. Some players also opt for the Z grip, this grip places the weight on the palm of your hand.

The Automag come stock with a quality bolt however some players choose to buy after market ones. The two big ones are A.N.S. and Toxic Toys I have used both of these and see little improvement over the stock bolt.  I wouldn't recommend paying $40 for an upgrade bolt.  Use that money for something else.

Because of the velocity drop off problem, companies have been looking for ways to counter this. The first way is to replace the on/off top. There is a variety of options out there, the wizard valve, cyclone valve, and reactor valve. I have used both the wizard and reactor and prefer the reactor. An 8 hole mode can also be add to the marker this replaces the rear portion of the regulator and is also supposed to help with drop off. I found that this modification did help with my drop off problem. There a few companies that make this modification including A.N.S., Black Diamond, and an air smith can also do this modification for you.

A spacer kit is a popular add on for the Automag, the kit comes with five spacers. The idea is to insert the smallest spacer that won’t let gas leak out the barrel. This kit lightens up the trigger and makes it a little sharper.
Other trigger work that can be done is polishing. I took the sear out of my mag and with a file took a hair worth off the sear, then with some steal wool polished it. The important thing here is not to take to much off of the sear or the gun will not cycle properly, and you will be forced to buy a new sear.
With a double trigger finger a person is able to increase there rate of fire with little effort. Although just the trigger is fairly cheap, trigger guards are now required at most tournaments, and I suspect most fields too.

After I had the mag for quite some time I deiced to get a compressed air system, and this mad the biggest difference in ending my velocity drop off problem. There a numerous systems that are available ranging in price from $75 - $550+ for the new Angel Air System.

Trouble shooting: Problems I have had with my Automag.

My automag has been the most trouble free marker I have owned. I have had only two problems and both were easy fixes. The first problem I had was when I got liquid CO2 in my marker the o-ring between the two half of the regulator swelled and made my gun leak down the barrel, and shoot at inconsistent velocity. To fix this problem all one needs to do is unscrew the regulator and replace the o-ring with a new one, this takes about 3 minutes to do. The second problem I had was the screw that holds the grip frame to the body wore out just enough of the grip frame that the screw stuck up past the body and made removing the barrel very difficult. To fix this I just added a washer to the screw and have not had a problem since.

One minor problem that I encountered at a tournament was I didn't have a velocity lock for my rear velocity knob on my automag.  These knobs are very cheap and can be purchased for less than 12 dollars.  So if you purchase a hand adjust velocity screw make sure you also purchase the lock for it.  

Recommendations for Automag:

I would recommend this marker to any person that was planning on playing in some paintball tournaments and for those who are more competitive than the average weekend player. I would definitely plan to purchase a nitrogen system with this marker.  It is not required, but it will work much better using nitrogen.  

I also recommend that you purchase an automag with the powerfeed on the gun.  If you upgrade to it later it will be much more expensive.  The automag feeds much better when it has the powerfeed and if you chop a ball without powerfeed it is a mess!  You will have less ball breakage and enjoy your paintball outings for a few dollars more.  

In conclusion

This marker is easy to clean, care for, and you will rarely be out gunned on the field of battle.
I give this marker 4 1/2 splats out of 5

By:

Nick Palumbo